Many people (callees) have a multitude of telephone numbers (TNs) that they give out to potential callers. Typically this set of TNs includes home, office, and cell phone numbers, and are associated with different telecommunication service providers. Each telecommunication service provider has its own set of features that function in isolation with the other service providers. Even if the user has two TNs with the same telecommunication service provider, the set of features for one TN may function in isolation with the other.
If the caller knows more than one TN for the callee, the caller selects the most likely number to reach the callee and often leaves a voicemail message before trying another number. The caller is burdened with determining the most likely sequence of calls to reach the callee. This often results in one or more voicemail messages (home, office, cell) even if the caller ultimately reaches the callee. This situation slows the process of establishing a connection, increases costs, and reduces the probability of making a live connection, due to the effort and time required of the caller. In addition, multiple voicemail messages are a burden for the callee.
Call management is the selectable re-routing of phone calls from the called address, typically a telephone number, to a delivery device, typically a telephone or voicemail service. Rudimentary call management, in the form of Variable Call Forwarding, is widely available. Existing call management features only apply to calls placed to phone lines within the telecommunication service provider's network. For example, the two leading consumer voice-over-IP (VoIP) telecommunication service providers offer call redirection for calls placed to their telephone numbers. To configure this feature, the user must log on to the telecommunication service provider's website and enter forwarding numbers into the configuration web pages. Some Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems have a selectable forwarding feature that is configured from the PBX station (phone) or from a private corporate Intranet website. Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) typically provide a Variable Call Forwarding feature. To use this feature, the user must be at the location of the phone to be forwarded; the user must take the phone off-hook; and the user must enter an arcane sequence of digits followed by the telephone number of the phone line to which all calls will be forwarded. In all of these cases, the configuration is static. Once the configuration of a system is set up, the system works the same way until it is changed. Changing the configuration is often cumbersome, requiring the keypad entry of arcane numeric codes. To manage multiple phones, the user accesses disparate user interfaces from each of their telecommunication service providers, potentially from multiple physical locations.
Some telecommunication features are isolated to a device attached to a telecommunication service provider's network. For example, a caller-ID box is connected to a phone line provided by a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC). The caller-ID box can only display, and keep a record of, calls placed to that phone line. Similarly, most modern mobile phones store a log of incoming calls and dialed calls, but the log only applies to calls received and placed by that mobile phone.
What is needed is a system and method that automatically handles, routes, and manages telephone calls so that callers do not have to guess which number to call to reach a particular individual. What is further needed is a system and method that allows a callee to specify how incoming calls are handled for calls to different telephone numbers for different telecommunication service providers, and that responds dynamically to real-time conditions at the time a call is placed.